NCAA Approves Tournament Expansion to 76 Teams

The NCAA has approved the expansion of its men's and women's basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams, a change that will take effect for the 2026-27 season.

This marks the largest format change for the men's tournament since 1985 and for the women's tournament since 1994. The 2026 tournaments concluded with UCLA winning the women's national championship and UConn winning the men's national championship.

Tournament Expansion Details

Approval and Format

The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball committees voted unanimously to expand the tournaments from 68 to 76 teams. The decision required and received approval from multiple NCAA committees and boards, including the Division I Council, the Division I cabinet, and the Board of Governors. All 32 Division I conferences agreed to the expansion. A formal announcement was made after the necessary ratifications were completed.

The new format replaces the "First Four" with a "March Madness Opening Round" consisting of 12 games involving 24 teams. The 12 winners advance to the main 64-team bracket. The new format:

• Expands the number of at-large selections from 37 to 44
• Includes eight additional games (increasing total tournament games to 120 over seven days)
• Features the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams in the Opening Round
• Creates eight No. 16 seeds and six No. 15 seeds
• Seeds new at-large teams as No. 11, No. 12, or No. 13

For the men's tournament, Opening Round games will be split between Dayton, Ohio, and a second site to be determined via an open bid process, with a decision expected in July.

For the women's tournament, Opening Round games will be held on the home courts of 12 of the top 16 seeds.

Funding and Revenue

The expansion is funded by approximately $300 million in additional revenue generated from new sponsorship opportunities, including beer, wine, spirits, and hard seltzer, along with increased advertising space on broadcast partners. The NCAA senior vice president of basketball stated that expansion would not have occurred without this sponsorship agreement.

The NCAA will distribute over $131 million of the new revenue to participating schools over the next six years. Broadcast rights value will increase by approximately $50 million annually on average over the remaining six years of the existing deal with CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery, which pays more than $900 million annually and runs through 2032.

Stakeholder Impacts

The expansion is expected to benefit high-major conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, Big East) by providing more opportunities for at-large selections. Mid-major conferences may gain 1-3 additional at-large bids per year.

Six conference automatic qualifiers (mostly from non-autonomy conferences) are guaranteed at least two tournament games, securing additional financial units for their conferences. Four fewer automatic qualifiers from low- and mid-major leagues will participate in the first round. The NCAA continues to fund travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals for participating teams.

2026 Men's NCAA Tournament

Selection and Bracket

The men's tournament bracket was unveiled on Selection Sunday. Duke received the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Michigan, Arizona, and defending champion Florida. The tournament featured a record 13 teams having a freshman as their leading scorer.

Key preliminary matchups included:

• First Four: Texas defeated NC State 68-66
• First round: No. 4 Nebraska defeated No. 13 Troy; No. 1 Duke defeated No. 16 Siena

Tournament Results

East Region (Washington, D.C.)

• Regional Semifinal: Duke (1) defeated St. John's (5) 80-75
• Regional Semifinal: UConn (2) defeated Michigan State (3)
• Regional Final: Duke (1) defeated UConn (2)

West Region (San Jose)

• Regional Semifinal: Purdue (2) defeated Texas (11) 79-77
• Regional Semifinal: Arizona (1) defeated Arkansas (4) 109-88
• Regional Final: Arizona (1) defeated Purdue (2)

Midwest Region (Chicago)

• Regional Semifinal: Michigan (1) defeated Alabama (4) 90-77
• Regional Semifinal: Tennessee (6) defeated Iowa State (2)
• Regional Final: Michigan (1) defeated Tennessee (6)

South Region (Houston)

• Regional Semifinal: Iowa (9) defeated Nebraska (4) 77-71
• Regional Semifinal: Illinois (3) defeated Houston (2) 65-55
• Regional Final: Illinois (3) defeated Iowa (9)

The Final Four was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 4.

• Semifinal 1: UConn (2) defeated Illinois (3) 71-62
• Semifinal 2: Arizona (1) defeated Michigan (1)

National Championship (Monday, April 6)

UConn defeated Arizona to win the national championship. This marks UConn's third national championship game appearance in four years.

2026 Women's NCAA Tournament

Selection and Bracket

The women's tournament bracket was unveiled on Selection Sunday. UConn received the No. 1 overall seed, followed by UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas as top seeds. UConn entered the tournament undefeated with a 34-0 record.

Tournament Results

The Women's Final Four was held at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Friday, April 3. For the second consecutive season, all four No. 1 seeds (UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina) advanced to the Final Four — only the second time in NCAA women's tournament history that the same four teams have reached the final weekend in consecutive years.

Semifinal 1: South Carolina (1) vs. UConn (1)

South Carolina defeated UConn 62-48, ending UConn's 54-game winning streak and advancing South Carolina to the national championship game for the fourth time in five seasons.

The game featured a post-game interaction between UConn coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. South Carolina's Ta'Niya Latson led scoring with 16 points, while Agot Makeer added 14 points.

Semifinal 2: Texas (1) vs. UCLA (1)
UCLA defeated Texas to advance to the national championship game.

UCLA defeated South Carolina to win the national championship, securing the program's first NCAA title.

UCLA established a significant lead early in the game, leading 36-23 at halftime and 61-32 by the end of the third quarter. Gabriela Jaquez led UCLA with 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Lauren Betts also contributed significantly. Tessa Johnson was South Carolina's leading scorer with 14 points.

Women's Final Four: Post-Game Interaction

Following South Carolina's 62-48 victory over UConn, an interaction occurred between UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. According to multiple sources:

• Auriemma approached Staley near the end of the game. The two coaches engaged in an exchange and were separated by assistant coaches and officials.
• Auriemma stated the interaction stemmed from a perceived absence of a traditional pre-game handshake at halfcourt.
• Staley expressed confusion about the incident, stating she shook hands with Auriemma's staff pre-game and affirming her integrity.
• Auriemma also expressed frustration with officiating during a third-quarter sideline interview.
• On Saturday, Auriemma issued a statement apologizing for his actions, stating there was "no excuse" for how he handled the end of the game.
• Staley indicated her focus remained on the championship game and stated the matter would be addressed at a later time.

Player Rivalry: Edwards vs. Strong

The Final Four game between South Carolina and UConn also highlighted the ongoing competitive matchups between sophomores Joyce Edwards (South Carolina) and Sarah Strong (UConn) . Strong was ranked No. 1 and Edwards No. 3 in the 2024 recruiting class. Their third collegiate meeting came in this Final Four, with UConn winning the previous two matchups last season, including the 2025 national championship game.